When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I think the "law" that required steering locks in the US simply was overturned. However, from what I have read, in the US, if you get the "wheel is locked" message, nothing happens except you can't get rid of the error. But car will start. Is that correct? Just curious.
I think the "law" that required steering locks in the US simply was overturned. However, from what I have read, in the US, if you get the "wheel is locked" message, nothing happens except you can't get rid of the error. But car will start. Is that correct? Just curious.
I'm no lawyer, and don't even play one on TV, but I got poking around for the US regulations regarding steering column locks. Turns out Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 114 is the primary standard for anti-theft protection, going back to 1969. Here's a good synopsis of the subject:
Having your car stolen = bad. Protection against theft = good. In a rare example of bureaucracy actually benefiting the ordinary citizen, anti-theft standards were developed. Realizing that technology would evolve, the details of implementation were deliberately vague. The outcome was regulated, not how to get there. The end game was no key = no drive. In the early days, the steering column lock was the primary means of compliance. When computerized engine control became common, it was fairly easy to add immobilizer protection. With such ability, the steering column lock was no longer needed.
Why do other countries still require steering column locks? Just a hunch, but I suspect their regulations were written more specifically. Rather than simply prescribe the end result, they codified how to get there.
Back to your question: Will a US spec car start with the "wheel is locked" message? No idea. It all depends on the logic behind the message. Does the security system think a theft attempt is in progress? Has it commanded the non-existent actuator to lock the steering? More importantly, has it also immobilized the engine for theft protection? Don't know, and certainly don't want to play with my car to find out...
Yes, right Karl, you are right that having an immobilizer in the car (=implemented by having a transponder in the key) would actually substitute the need for the steering wheel lock.
But on the other hand: Every theft-counter-measure can be overcome by criminals. It just takes time. And obviously every counter-measure takes time in its own right - more time. Hence transponder (immobilizer) plus steering wheel lock take longer together. The longer it takes the higher the security rating. Thus, the longer it takes for someone like Roger M. (as mentioned above the test-burglar Ford/Jaguar employed back then) to test-steal the car, the better the rating, the lower the insurance rates. That's how it works in Europe, I assume. Same logic probably does not apply in the US.
How many times have we been over this? There’s no need to affirm when I’m right. It’s like saying the sky is blue, or fire is hot. It’s just a given around here.
> How many times have we been over this? There’s no need to affirm when I’m right. It’s like saying the sky is blue, or fire is hot.
Coincidentally I found in my collection 2 picture of the sky...
